Children are the focus in new post-National Standards era

Primary principals and teachers look forward to a fresh start this year using robust and well-regarded assessment tools, instead of shonky National Standards.

With a focus on our world-leading curriculum, teachers will be freed to teach and to engage children in the learning that really motivates them.

NZEI Te Riu Roa President Lynda Stuart said educators fought against National Standards because they did not help children succeed at learning, and caused undue stress for even very young children and their whanau.

“They did not foster a love of learning, they narrowed the curriculum, put undue pressure on children, increased teacher workload and weren’t even an accurate measure of a child’s progress,” she said.

Families and whānau can be re-assured that good quality assessment would now be provided in plain language progress and achievement reports, across the curriculum, to parents twice a year.

“This is the best, and most accurate, reflection of children’s progress and learning, that, and talking to the teacher.

“Thankfully we have moved away from assessment of learning to assessment for learning. We can now have a more holistic view and look at next steps to learning.”